iNeed Help
by emma414
Summary: Sam goes through a tough time at home, and needs her friends to help her along the way. Story better than summary, i hope.
1. The Project

A.N: I still don't own iCarly. I've had a rest for a week or so, so here is my new story called iNeed Help.

Sam POV

I cowered in the corner, holding my head in my hands, waiting for the next blow. All i could hear was the loud stamping of feet and my own heartbeat thundering in my ears. It was my mom, and she was drunk and angry.

I looked up and heard: 'Come here you little brat!' she screamed, waving a beer bottle in her hands.

I stayed on the floor, rigid, not knowing what to do. My mom has always been mean to me, but she was never this bad. I stood up, trying to win back some authority, but all I felt was loneliness, and the tears began to fall.

'Mom, calm down, you've had too much to drink,' I said calmly, but my voice was thick with emotion.

She stared at me in disbelief, and then slammed the beer bottle into the wall, narrowly missing my head. I jumped at the impact. 'I don't need you to tell me what to do, you little tart! You're the single worst thing I could've done in my life!' she screeched, and took another swig out a half-drunk bottle of wine.

She was distracted by the wine, so I took my chance and ran into the calming space of my bedroom, and slammed the door shut. I threw the duvet over me and curled into a ball, crying in my labored sleep, while my mom continued shouting outside.

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I awoke from my sleep, and pulled the soft duvet cover off. I groaned as the bright morning light shone through my unclosed curtains. I whimpered as I dragged myself out of bed, holding my arm where my mom had slashed me the night before. I listened close to the door to check the coast was clear. I heard nothing, and so I opened the door.

I saw a streak of tatty blonde hair poking out from the arm of the sofa. It was mom, and she looked a state. Beer and wine bottles were strewn across the floor, all of them empty. I decided to pick them up, when I heard my mom moan. I turned to see her, and she looked even worse. Her hair had matted to her face, and the smell of vomit was seeping from her mouth. She looked like she hadn't washed in days. It broke my heart to see her like this.

I binned the bottles, and went into the bathroom. Vomit was all over the sink and toilet, and I gagged at the smell. After cleaning it all up, I washed, cleaned my wound and got ready for school. I took one last look at Mom before heading out the door, wiping my tears. Momma doesn't let anyone see her cry.

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'Hey Sam,' Carly called, and I turned to hug her. She was wearing a cute red top and a black mini-skirt.

'Hey,' I replied, returning the hug. We let go, and headed to class. Fredderley was already sat there, faffing about on his laptop. Swot.

We sat down in our seats, and Dorkface waved a hi. I waved back and pulled a face at him, and he just rolled his eyes.

Our teacher entered, and started to talk, but I didn't really care. I just sat there, opening and closing my eyes, trying to stay awake.

We got put in pairs for our next project, so I went with Carly, and Freddie with Gibby. We had to choose a problem within society that we felt needed to be addressed, then talk about it to the rest of the class. The teacher read out the topics, and we put our hand up to choose. Freddie and Gibby chose gun crime, but Carly and I couldn't decide. We waited till last, and the teacher said: 'Carly, Sam, yours is on Family Problems.'

Carly beamed and said: 'Thank you, we'll start straight away.' The teacher smiled and sat back at her desk. Carly rambled on about what we could say when we spoke it, but I couldn't hear her. I ran straight out the class, and into the toilets, where I hoped no-one could hear my muffled sobs.

A.N: That's it for chapter 1, I will make them longer if I get 3 reviews, then I'll update! Emma xoxo


	2. Getting Worried

A.N: I still don't own iCarly.

Carly POV

I looked at the door with confusion. Why had Sam just ran out like that? Freddie had noticed she had gone too, and looked at me with worry. "Where's Sam?" he mimed at me, and I just shrugged.

I walked towards the teacher's desk and asked if I could go looking for Sam. She said that was fine and handed me an out of room pass. I left the classroom and went to the first place Sam would be. The canteen.

I asked the canteen ladies if they had seen her, but they just shook their heads. I groaned in frustration. Sam was starting to worry me. Why couldn't she just tell me what was wrong?

I was close to giving up finding her when I passed the toilets on the way back. I heard some muffled whimpering and went to inspect. I opened the creaky door slowly, and peered my head round the door. There was no-one there, but I could still hear crying.

I opened the door fully, and entered the toilets. All of the cubicles were open except one. I knocked politely and waited for an answer. After a while, I didn't see the point in staying, so I headed out.

The latch was clicked open and the toilet was flushed, and I turned round to see Sam with her hair bunched up in a mess, and her eyes glistening with tears. It broke my heart to see my best friend like this. I instinctively moved to hug her and she fell into my arms, hugging me back. I stroked her hair in a comforting gesture, and waited for her to calm down.

After about 5 minutes, Sam looked up at me and wiped her eyes. I asked her: "What's wrong, Sam?"

She replied immediately: "I had a really bad pain in my stomach, so I ran out and I was sick in the toilet."

"I'll get you a drink of water and a sick bag, then we can head back to class," I suggested.

She nodded slowly and followed me out. We went back to the canteen, and grabbed some water. Sam met me outside the classroom with a sick bag in her hand. I rubbed her back and she smiled sadly at me. I had a feeling that there was something she wasn't telling me, but I didn't want to say. She moved her arm to open the door, and I noticed a scar on her arm.

She opened the door, and we sat down in class. Everyone was staring at us, but I just ushered Sam to her seat as quickly as possible. We continued planning the project, but Sam didn't seem bothered. She looked as though she had other things on her mind.

The class passed by quickly, and I waited outside for Sam. She still looked out of it, and we walked towards our lockers to get our stuff for the next lesson. Freddie was there, taking his laptop out for AV Club. He looked up and noticed Sam, and he stared at her with what looked like a relieved expression.

"You ok, Sam?" he asked.

"I'm fine Nub. Just leave me alone," she replied, and she grabbed her stuff and barged past him to her next lesson.

Freddie looked at her with hurt painted all over his face as she walked away, then he turned to me. "What happened?" he asked.

I answered: "She said that she wasn't feeling very well, and she was sick in the toilets."

Freddie nodded and started to walk away, laptop in hand. I touched his arm, and he spun round to face him. "She did have a weird scar on her arm," I told him, and he just stared at me, before replying: "You worry too much, I'm sure it's nothing."

I nodded, reassured for the moment, and headed to class.

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Freddie and I met with Sam at the end of school. She was looking much better than before. She appeared to have lightened up, and was smiling as she approached us. "Hey guys," she beamed.

"Hey," we replied, and together we got on the bus to mine.

Twenty minutes later, we entered my apartment, and we saw Spencer perched on a ladder. "Hey kids," he waved, and we slumped onto the couch, exhausted.

We watched a few TV shows, then ate some spaghetti tacos. We tucked in and talked to Spencer about our day. After a while, it was getting late so Freddie headed home. He hugged me and Sam just waved: "Whatever, nub."

He left my apartment and headed to his own. Sam asked if she could stay the night at mine and I questioned her why. "Because I still don't feel that well," she replied, and stared at the floor.

I frowned, but decided to leave it for the time being. Spencer said that it was fine, and I got the blankets down from my room. We lay together on the sofa, and watched some more TV, then talked till about midnight, before we finally fell asleep.

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I groaned when the curtains were opened, and I reluctantly sat up. I frowned when I saw that Sam had gone. I grabbed my phone, and saw I had one new message. It read: _**Hey Carly, I left early 2 get sum new clothes 2 wear 4 skwl. Cya there Sam x**_

I smiled at the text, and got ready for school. I met Freddie outside and we got to our lockers just before the bell. Sam was there, and she looked tired. We said hi to her, and she wiped her hair from her face. I saw that she had another scar on her hand, and decided I should ask. "What happened to your hand?" I asked.

Sam just stared at me, so I gestured to her hand, and she looked at it too. She replied timidly: "Yeah, that. I fell on the way inside. It's nothing."

The bell rang and she walked in front to class. Freddie and I shared a worried look. Something was going on with Sam, and we needed to find out what it was.

A.N: 4 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	3. Starting The Project

A.N: Hello everyone, sorry I haven't updated in ages! I've been off school a bit and I had horrible hayfever making my eyes go all puffy and red so I couldn't see and they hurt so much anyways, I'm back now and here's chapter 3!

Freddie POV

I sat in Math, staring at the board but none of it was going in. all I could think about was Sam. I knew she was my frenemy, and all she did was tease and hit me, but I still cared about her. She was one of my closest friends.

I waited for the bell to ring, and after what seemed like an age, it finally rang. Grabbing my backpack and the rest of my belongings, I headed out the classroom to meet Carly and Sam to get the bus. They were stood waiting for me, and we got on together.

Sam still looked tired, and her eyes were drooping on the bus home. Sam got off at her own stop because she wanted to drop her things off first, and Carly and I went to Carly's. We opened the door to find Spencer carrying a load of springs. He said: "Hi!" to which we replied: "Why?"

"These springs are for my new sculpture, I'm making a giant pen!" We looked at each other with looks of confusion, and just smiled and nodded at Spencer. That seemed to be enough for him, and he went back to doing his work. Carly led us upstairs and we dumped our bags.

We watched TV for a bit, when we heard the elevator ding. It was Sam, and she seemed a lot perkier than before. Maybe she was just having mood swings or something. We all spent the next 2 hours planning and rehearsing the next iCarly, and then Carly helped Spencer with dinner while Sam and I installed the prop for our next "Messing With Lewbert."

By the time we had finished, Carly had made dinner. We all sat down and ate our spaghetti tacos. Carly cleared her throat and said: "Freddie, have you started your project on gun crime yet?"

I replied: "Not yet, but Gibby's coming round later tonight to get started, why?"

"Oh, just wondering," she mused, and looked towards Sam. She frowned and touched Sam's arm, but Sam winced with what looked like pain. "Sam, are you ok?" I asked.

She glared at me and said: "Why would you care, you little nub!" raising her voice. There was a tense silence as we ate the rest of our meals. We helped clear and wash up all the plates. Sam pulled her sleeves up and began to wash the plates.

I started to dry some of the pots when I felt a nudge on my arm. I turned and saw Carly nodding towards Sam. I looked back and I could see another mark on her skin. Except this one looked like a burn.

We finished drying up and Sam wiped her hands. Carly asked: "Sam, how did you do that?"

Sam stared back confused, and Carly gestured to her arm. She looked down and quickly covered it up. "I burnt myself when I was busy pulling burgers out of the grill at home," she replied instantly.

Spencer had heard what we were talking about, and said that it would be better if the wound was properly dressed. Sam reluctantly agreed and let him dress the wound. I checked the time, and saw that Gibby was coming soon, so I said my goodbyes and headed out the door.

Sam POV

I waited for Fredweird to leave then I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I sat down on the toilet and stared blankly at my newly-dressed wound. Of course what I had told them was a lie. There was no way they were going to find out the truth. I didn't wanna seem weak.

But the injuries my Mom was giving me were getting worse. It used to be just little slaps that I could easily cover up, but ever since she began to drink more, they were becoming more serious. She was constantly punching and throwing glasses at me, and today, she burnt me with the chip fryer.

I wiped the tears that were falling from my pink cheeks away, and sighed heavily. I looked in the mirror, and composed myself. I flushed the toilet and went back into the living room.

The room had Carly's laptop on the coffee table, and she looked at me when she heard my footsteps. She beckoned me to sit down, and I did. She was researching domestic violence, and the types of things that can happen. After a while, she turned to me, and said: "I think I should do this section, and you could do one on Parenting and Child Abuse. Then we can talk about what it actually is, and what the government needs to do about it. How does that sound?"

I nodded at her, but inside I felt sick. I took a deep breath and thought: Get through this Momma, and you'll be fine. No-one has to know what you go through at home.

I sat down at Carly's other computer and began to research. I read through reams and reams of information, and found a few statistics, and some were quite disturbing. 1 in 58 children in the US were abused in 2006. 61% of these were victims of neglect. On average, 4 children die every day from some sort of child abuse.

All these statistics became too much, and I watched my tears fall on my bandage. i heard Carly's voice: "Have you got something?"

I breathed deeply, wiped my tears, and replied: "Just some statistics."

"Ok, we'll put it all together tomorrow. Right now, I'm tired," she yawned.

I got off the computer stool and said my goodbyes to Carly and Spencer. She smiled at me and then I left the apartment.

I was dreading getting home, but I knew I had to go. I got there just after 9, and saw my mom sprawled out on the sofa, staring at telly, swinging another bottle of wine close to the floor. I closed the door as quietly as I could and made it slowly to my room, where I fell onto the bed and cried myself to sleep.

Carly POV

I lay in bed, willing myself to sleep, but I couldn't when I was so worried about Sam. She was my best friend; she could tell me anything. So what wasn't she telling me now? All the injuries she was getting recently, it just didn't add up.

I decided to talk to Freddie tomorrow, to think of a way to find out what was up with Sam. But until then, I just let the bed engulf me and I drifted off to sleep.

A.N: 4 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	4. Finding Out

A.N: I don't own iCarly.

Sam POV

I moaned when the noise of my alarm clock blared into my ears. Slowly opening my eyes, I reluctantly got out of bed. I slammed my hand on the alarm clock to shut it up, and then wandered out to get dressed.

My mom was laying there as she did before, and I snuck into the bathroom and got dressed. Grabbing my backpack, I grabbed some ham from the fridge but I heard a soft groan. Turning, I saw Mom stirring and she opened her eyes, which were heavy and surrounded in dark circles. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"Doesn't matter," I replied, covering her up with a spare blanket, and moving all the bottles away from her. "Go back to sleep, Mom."

I left the apartment and headed to the bus stop. The bus stopped and I went to sit next to Carly. Nubby was sat next to Gibby. Carly grinned at me as I approached, and I sat down on the rough, uncomfortable seat.

"Are you ok, Sam?" she asked, and I turned to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I replied, trying my best to smile back at her.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "It's just you seem to have quite big black circles around your eyes. Are you having trouble sleeping? What's bothering you?"

I rolled my eyes and said: "I'm fine, ok?" A little louder than necessary. Carly just frowned at me and turned to look out the grimy window. We continued the rest of the journey in silence. I grabbed my books from my locker, and went straight to class.

Carly POV

Freddie grabbed his books and started to walk to class, but I clutched his arm. He faced me and stared at me, blank. "What are we going to do about Sam?" I asked him.

"What about her?" he shrugged, trying to look like he didn't care, but I could tell he was bothered.

"We need to think of a way to find out what's up with Sam, you know, what with the whole running out of class and scars things," I replied.

"Ok, meet me in the AV Club at lunch," he answered. I raised my eyebrows at him. He saw this and scoffed: "Don't worry; I'll make sure no-one sees you." I smiled at him and walked to my class.

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Freddie POV

The first half of the day passed by with a breeze and I met with Carly at the AV Club entrance. She was stood there, pacing up and down, frantically looking around to see if anyone she knew was there. I chuckled and grabbed her hand. She jumped out of her skin and I laughed.

I led her into the room and she sat down with me in a space not visible from the door. She got out her lunch and I did the same. I took a mouthful of my sandwich and asked: "What do we do?"

She shrugged and said: "I don't know. She's acting weird, and it's ever since this whole project started."

I swallowed my mouthful and said: "Why would Sam have a problem with doing Family Problems as a project?"

Again, she shrugged and replied: "I think it might be something to do with the fact that she's never had a father figure in her life."

I scoffed and said: "Sam doesn't need a father, she can cope just fine."

Carly pulled a face and said: "Maybe we don't know Sam as well as we used to."

I sighed. "Maybe." We ate the rest of our food and sat on the school field for the remainder of lunch. The bell rang for the next lesson and we went our separate ways.

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Carly POV

Sam got off the bus early coz she wanted some more ham to put in her fridge for later, then she would come to mine to rehearse iCarly. Freddie and I laughed at this, and said goodbye.

The bus stopped at ours and we got off. Opening the door, we saw Lewbert sat at his desk, picking wax out of his ear with a pen. Ew. He noticed us soon enough and screamed: "GET OUT OF MY LOBBYY!"

We ran to the safe haven of the stairs and bounded up them, keen to avoid Lewbert shouting at us again. I opened the door to my apartment, and saw that Spencer was coming along with his sculpture. Freddie went to put his bag in his apartment, and walked into mine. I made him some iced tea, and he took it gratefully. We sat down on the couch to watch some TV when Mrs Benson bounded in with a stern look etched on her face.

"Freddie, why haven't you had your tick bath yet? You're coming home with me right now!" she said, glaring at her son. He stood and whispered, but loud enough so I could hear: "Mom! I'll do it later!"

Ever since Freddie moved out for a bit, she seemed to have become a lot less strict. She softened and said: "Ok, but only if you promise." Freddie nodded quickly, and I sensed he wanted her out the room ASAP. She left the room, and I chuckled. Freddie sighed and said: "Thank god Sam didn't see that."

I agreed and turned to watch TV. Not long after, Sam appeared barging in like she owned the place. "What up peeps?" she said, and plonked herself on the couch in between me and Freddie.

Nothing," I replied, and made her a drink aswell. We headed upstairs and planned the next iCarly. By the time we had finished, it was getting late, so Freddie and Sam went downstairs, and we said our goodbyes at the door.

Sam POV

I put my hands in my pockets and trudged towards the stairs, when I heard Freddie say: "Hey, you ok?"

I turned round and replied: "I'm fine nub, just tired."

"You should stay the night at Carly's," he answered. I frowned and said: "Nah, I'd rather sleep in my own bed." I started to walk again, but I felt a strong arm on my shoulder. Freddie was still there and he said: "Well someone should at least walk you home."

I frowned at him again, and said: "Why do you wanna walk me home?"

He seemed to go a little red, and I smiled. "Well…you know…in case….something happens."

I decided to humour him and we walked to my house in silence. We arrived 20 minutes later and I got out my key. I said thanks and headed inside.

Freddie POV

I don't know why I decided to walk her home; I guess it sorta just happened. Lately, Sam seemed a little…scared and…vulnerable. I tried to make conversation, but I just couldn't think of what to say. I stared at her trying to look for inspiration, but nothing came. Instead, I looked at her blonde, curly, hair and the way it fell down her shoulders. I looked at her eyes, and how they seemed to show more than she was letting on. I started to lose myself in them, but then Sam stared straight back at me. I felt myself go red and quickly looked away.

We reached her house, and I said goodbye. I waited for her to go inside, and slowly walked out the building. I reached the stairs when I heard a loud bang. Curious, I headed back to see what it was. The banging continued and it led back to Sam's.

With ever increasing panic, I leaned the side of my head against the cool door, trying to listen in. I strained my ear to hear, and heard what sounded like muffled crying. The banging stopped and the door latch was opened. I moved as quickly as I could and tried to look in, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. Some woman just stared back at me, and screamed: "GET OUT!" I ran as quickly as I could and went straight back to my apartment. I decide to tell Carly ASAP, but for now I just needed sleep.

A.N: 4 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	5. Telling Carly

A.N: I still don't own iCarly.

Freddie POV

I groaned as my alarm clock woke me up. Rubbing my eyes harshly, I ran my hand through my thick hair and sat up. The light was streaming in from a little gap between the curtains. I squinted at it, and then got up to open them. The light was bright, and my eyes took a while to adjust.

I got out my room and went to get dressed. I washed my face and stared in the mirror. I had to tell her, I thought. I had to tell Carly what I saw. I dressed myself then grabbed some toast, and headed out the door.

I wandered over to Carly's door, and knocked politely. Spencer answered it soon after and gave me a high five. I grinned back and he let me inside. Carly was just finishing off her breakfast. She smiled at me and I waved back. She took her last bite, then picked her bag up.

We walked to the bus stop together, and it was then that I decided to tell her what happened last night. "Hey Carly, last night I walked Sam back to her apartment," I said.

She just looked at me, eyebrows raised. "Really? Why?"

I could feel my face going red, and looked away from her gaze. "She looked a bit scared, and I wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt," I replied, covering my face with my hands.

Carly moved my hands away and stared at me. "Do you like Sam?"

I scoffed and said: "No, not that way. What makes you say that? I mean, its not like I kissed her or anything, I just walked her home," I said, barely taking a breath.

She replied: "I never meant that way." And she got on the bus. I followed her on with a tomato face, and I sat next to her, while she just chuckled quietly. I turned to her and said: "There's something else." She looked at me blank, so I continued. "When I left Sam's, I heard some loud banging, so I went to see what it was. The noise was coming from Sam's."

Carly's eyes grew wide with shock, and she sprinted through a series of questions. "OMG! What happened? Was Sam involved? Is she ok?"

I touched her shoulder in a comforting way, and she seemed to calm down. "Relax, I think she's fine. It's Sam, she can handle herself."

"But there was one other thing," I mumbled under my breath.

"WHAT?" she practically screamed at me, and the entire bus span their heads to face us. I smiled at them and yell-whispered: "Sam's mom opened the door, and she seemed a little drunk!"

"We have to do something, we have to help Sam," she whispered back. I agreed and we relaxed back into our seats for the rest of the journey. We arrived at Sam's stop and she got on, but she didn't seem herself. Her hair was matted to her head, and dark circles surrounded her blue eyes. She looked ill and disorientated. The bus lurched forward before she had a chance to sit down, and she fell forward.

Instinctively, I leapt from my seat and grabbed her before she could hit the ground. She stared at my arms, which were holding her tightly. I pulled away and she mumbled a thank you. She sat down in her seat, and we had the rest of the journey in silence.

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Sam POV

I collapsed into a stiff, uncomfortable bench in the school courtyard, exhausted. I had next to nothing in terms of sleep, and my eyes were drooping more than normal in lessons. I had been sick after smelling my mom's room when I borrowed her perfume. My mom was still drinking and shouting, even at the TV. She had never been this bad, and I desperately wanted her to get better. If not for my sake, then for her own.

I rested my head on the back of the bench, and let my eyelids fall. I tried to fall asleep, but I still felt horrible. After what only seemed like a minute, I felt a hand shake my arm forcefully. I opened my eyes to see Carly with a concerned look on her face.

"Sam come on, we gotta get to PE," she said softly. I shook my head and groaned, voicing my disapproval. She helped me up and rubbed my back soothingly. "Sam, you should go home, you look awful," she said.

"Thanks," I replied curtly, and grabbed my stuff. "I'll just ask if I can watch, then I should be able to make it home, we only have one lesson after that," I said, and walked with her to PE.

Our teacher saw how I looked and allowed me to sit and watch, while the rest of the girls played hockey. I stood outside and held my arms while rubbing them, trying to warm myself up. After what seemed like forever, the teacher stopped the game and everyone came back in.

I waited for Carly to change before heading to Mr Henning's class. He sat there, and looked up as we entered. We took our seats and he said: "Class, seen as we have finished the units for this semester, you may finish off whatever other projects you have to do."

Carly turned to me and asked: "How you doing with the Child Abuse thing for English?"

I gulped and mumbled: "Fine, I'm nearly done." She nodded and replied, "Good. We have to show it to the class in a week coz I asked the teacher earlier today. Is that ok?"

I nodded back and sat with my head against my desk, trying to make myself better. I held my stomach as we travelled back to Carly's. She let me sleep on the couch for the night, and I snuggled down into it, while Carly got me a blanket. I accepted it, then allowed myself to drift away into sleep.

A.N: 4 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	6. Sam tells allish

A.N: I still don't own iCarly.

Carly POV

I awoke to the harsh sound of the curtains squeaking against their rails. Spencer was in my room opening them. He saw me awake and grabbed my arm. He pulled me out of the bed and lightly pushed me into the bathroom, shouting at me to get ready for school. I got washed and dressed, but I was still half asleep.

I dragged myself into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Sam was still lying on our couch, and she still seemed a little ill. I gave her a light nudge and she turned to face me. She smiled and slowly got up. "Feeling any better?" I asked, while getting some cereal out for breakfast.

Sam ran a hand through her tousled hair and replied: "Yeah, a bit. Can I have some Frosties please?" I nodded and gave her some, and she ate like it was no tomorrow. I gave a light chuckle and we walked outside together. Freddie was waiting outside his apartment door. We said hello and headed to school.

After getting to our stop, Sam decided to use some spare clothes she had in her locker at school. We boarded the bus, and sat down in our seat. Gibby was being his usual Gibby-like self and annoying everyone else on the bus. This got a little too much for Freddie and he asked politely if he could sit with us. I looked at Sam expecting her to hit him or something, but instead she just agreed.

Freddie came to sit next on the end of our seat. It was a bit of a squash because it was only designed for 2 people, but we managed. Sam didn't seem too bothered that Freddie was sat practically on her lap, and she just squeezed closer to me.

The bus reached school and Sam grabbed her clothes from her locker and sprinted to the toilet, making sure that as few people as possible saw her. Freddie and I laughed as she came back running into class.

Freddie POV

The day passed by pretty quickly and Sam had got off at her stop. The bus stopped at the Bushwell Plaza and Carly and I got off. We had arranged for me to stay for tea so we could talk about how to deal with Sam. Spencer greeted us when Carly opened the door and we could see that his sculpture was almost finished. It was looking impressive, with the nib at the end about the size of my arm. We said hi and he waved back. I dumped my bag upstairs in the iCarly studio and we plonked ourselves on the bean bags.

Carly leaned over the table and grabbed the notepad and pen on it. "So, what do we do?" she asked, leaning in as if trying to get some gossip.

I just shrugged and suggested: "We need to find out what's wrong with her first. I mean, it could be anything. Maybe she's just feeling crap, or ill, or maybe she's on her period or something." I instantly regretted the last thing I said, and I nervously looked up. I saw Carly giving me her death glare, and then she launched into the inevitable rant. "Are you saying that all girls just go mental when they're on their period? Hmmm? Is that what you're saying?"

I put my hands on her shoulder to calm her down, and her breathing slowed to normal. She relaxed and said: "I'm sorry; it's just that I'm really worried about Sam. And I think I might be starting too."

I made a gagging sound as the thought invaded my mind. I gave her a look that said "TMI" and she smiled guiltily. I quickly changed the subject and Carly suggested that we visit her house when she doesn't expect it.

I agreed then we heard Spencer shout for us to come downstairs for tea. We obeyed and ran down the stairs as quickly as we could. Spencer was cooking stir fry with the wok, which is surprising considering what happened last time. We ate our stir fry and I said goodbye. Before I left, Carly said that we should start the plan as soon as possible. I nodded and closed the door to her apartment.

I lay on the bed on my laptop. I had finished checking the iCarly site and was just surfing the web. I felt a vibration in my pocket and saw that I had 1 new message. I opened it and it was from Sam. _**Can u come round? I need sum1 2 talk 2.**_

I stared at the message with a look of confusion. Why would Sam text me? If she wanted someone to talk to, why didn't she just ask Carly? What was going on? All these questions and more raced through my mind.

Without really knowing, my body overtook me and I found myself outside and walking towards Sam's. I nervously knocked on the door, not really knowing what to expect. After what seemed like ages, the door was opened and Sam's head peeked round. She looked at me relieved, and entered the hallway. I tried to see inside, but she wouldn't let me.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I didn't mind turning up, especially since the whole Missy thing Sam and I had made some sort of friendship. I cared about her. she interrupted my thoughts and replied: "You need to sit down."

I obliged and she did the same. Turning to me, she took a deep breath, and asked: "You know my mom isn't exactly like normal moms, right?"

I nodded slowly and tried to figure out what she was on about, but I was getting nowhere. She continued: "Well, my mom has been….drinking….a….. lot lately," she said, but her voice had broke. She tried to hide her face, but was unsuccessful. I watched as little droplets fell from her moist blue eyes. Immediately, I reached up and wiped the tears from her face. Her face felt silky smooth to touch. Fresh tears began to fall, and I pulled her closer to me, and she nuzzled her face in my shoulder. I rested my head on her velvety blonde hair and stroked her arm lightly.

After a while, she pulled some hair away from her face, and said: "I'm really scared, I don't want her to get hurt. She won't admit that she's an alcoholic. I don't know what to do." She dropped her head, and nuzzled it closer to me. I could feel my t-shirt sodden from her tears. After about 20 mintues, her sobs had slowed and she pulled away. I held her face in my hands, and stroked her soft cheeks. Her mascara had run down her face, leaving black streams that flowed down her cheeks. "We'll sort it, I promise," I said, and I pulled her face to mine, pressing my lips against hers.

I put everything into that kiss, trying to reassure her that everything will be ok. But she wasn't responding, so I started to pull away. Sam pulled me back, bringing my head closer and deepening the kiss. My hands moved from her face to her waist and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

We pulled away, panting. Pressing her forehead against mine, she stared into my eyes. I told her I would help her though this and she nodded. We agreed not to tell Carly until everything was sorted out. I got up and headed to the stairs, but Sam pulled me back. She said: "Thanks Freddie," and kissed me on the cheek. I blushed and held her cheek, then walked out the building.

A.N: 4 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	7. Solving The Problem

A.N.: Hey, I don't have 4 reviews, but I'll update anyway! Here's chapter 7.

Freddie POV

I walked to the bus stop in a daze. I had kissed Sam last night, and she had kissed me back. I felt like I was walking on air. I met Carly at the bus stop, and she noticed my giddiness. "Why so happy?" she asked teasingly, ruffling my dark hair in a sisterly gesture.

I frowned at her hand on my head, and batted it away. "Ohhh, nothing," I replied, trying to act casual. "I'm just really excited for school." She gave me a questioning look, but shook her head and boarded the bus.

I sat down in the row behind her and checked the ratings and comments on iCarly. Our following was getting bigger by the day. The bus came to a screechy halt and a wave of blonde entered the bus. She looked so beautiful; her hair was floating around her face; her eyes sparkled with blue eyeshadow; her lips glistened with freshly-applied gloss.

She paid the driver and walked towards Carly and I. She beamed when she saw me, and hurried to her seat. She walked a little too far to my seat, and Carly looked at me confused. She tapped the set next to hers and Sam reluctantly sat down on it. I stared out of the window at the rush hour traffic, when I felt a tap on my knee. I looked down and saw Sam's hand poking out from her seat, holding a small piece of paper. I took it from her hand, softly grazing her fingers. It read: _**Can we meet Groovy Smoothie l8r? I wanna talk bout how we're gonna help my mom. S xoxo**_

I smiled was about to say yes, but instead I replied: _**Don't u n Carly have the project to finish? The one bout family? F xxx**_

I tapped her elbow and she lifted her hand to get the note back. She read it and handed it back. _**Nah, we finished it. Meet ya 7? Xx**_

I answered: _**Ok, Princess Puckett. Cya there x**_

She giggled at the last bit and I smiled behind her. Carly asked what was so funny, and Sam just said: "Oh, nothing." She gave Sam the same look she had given me, but before she could question it, we arrived at school.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and we all walked into school, heading towards homeroom.

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Sam POV

The day passed by like a breeze, and I waited for Carly and Freddie after school. I couldn't believe how supportive Freddie was being. I turned to him because I knew if I turned to Carly she would've overreacted. Don't get me wrong I love Carly, but she can make a big fuss of things.

After a while, they appeared looking a bit haggard. I frowned and asked what was wrong. Freddie simply replied: "Briggs."

"Ah," I replied, and softly chuckled. We boarded the bus home, and talked about our days, before getting off at our stops and saying our goodbyes.

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I ordered my smoothie, and waited anxiously for Freddie. i started to get impatient, and began drumming my fingers on the table. Staring into space, I didn't realise some fingers grasp mine. "Hey, Puckett," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I smiled and replied: "Hey, Benson." He ordered his smoothie while I got my own. Freddie reached around me to get his smoothie, and in doing so, he kissed me lightly on the cheek. I blushed deeply, and grabbed my smoothie.

We sat down at the table, and took a sip of our smoothies. Freddie broke the silence and asked: "So, do you know what you're going to do about it?"

I shrugged and replied: "Honestly? I just don't know. I've tried talking to her, but she just won't listen. I don't know what to do." Tears began to form, and Freddie held my hand and softly stroked the palm. "What do I do, Freddie?" I asked, trying to be strong, but instead it came as just a whisper.

He moved to sit closer, and snaked his arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder, and I cried muted sobs. Freddie stroked my arm and brought me closer to him. I nuzzled my face and held his waist. "Why don't we tell Carly about this?" Freddie asked, kissing the top of my head.

I looked at him puzzled and he continued: "If you tell her, you can stay with her. Then when you mom realises what she's done, she'll get help."

I considered what he said, and agreed to tell Carly. We left the Groovy Smoothie, and headed to Carly's. I was about to turn the handle, when Sam grasped my arm. I turned to her in alarm, and she asked: "Can we tell her now? I'd feel better if I just got it over with."

He nodded and we walked in together to Carly's. I was still holding Freddie's hand as we walked up to see Carly in the studio. Freddie opened the door and Carly was sat on the bean bag, playing with her violin video game. I nodded to Freddie and he let go -leaving my hand cold - and turned the game off. Carly scowled at him but I stepped in before she could shout at him.

"Carly, we have something to tell you," I said. She noticed the seriousness in my voice and immediately paid attention. She looked to me to continue so I did. "You know I've been acting really weird lately?"

She nodded and I said: "Well, it's because of my mom. She's been…drinking…..a lot…..lately." I took longer pauses in between than when I told Freddie. Carly gasped and held her hand to her mouth. She ran forward and hugged me tightly. I embraced it and wiped my tears on her shoulder. She stroked my back and let go. "How much is a lot?" she asked.

"She's drunk every night. I didn't know what to do, but then Freddie said I should stay here." Carly glared at Freddie then me. "Why didn't you tell me first?"

"I don't know, I don't know. But Freddie's been really supportive, and…..well…..now…..we, errr….."

"Date," Freddie finished, and took my hand in his. The warmth came flooding back into my body, and I reluctantly turned away from his eyes to see Carly's reaction. She just stood there, open-mouthed, eyes wide.

A.N: 3 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	8. Freddie and Gibby's Speech

A.N: I don't own iCarly.

Carly POV

I stared at them with an expression of surprise and shock, pointed a shaky finger at Sam, then Freddie. "You two….date….now?" I asked, my voice sounding all high-pitched.

Freddie and Sam nodded together and sneaked glances at each other. They looked cute. My face softened and I embraced them both very tightly. They seemed surprised but hugged back.

I suppose I had always known they would go out. They always had good banter between each other, and they had their first kiss together. In a way, they were made for each other, and I was delighted for them. I pulled away and smiled back at them.

We headed downstairs to tell Spencer the good news. He seemed shocked at first, but then grinned and gave us all some Peppy Cola. He lifted his up and we did the same. "To Sam and Freddie!" he called. "The weirdest but cutest couple on the planet!" we cheered and Freddie kissed Sam on the cheek. She blushed madly and we drank our Peppy Cola.

After a while, Sam and Freddie decided to head home so I changed into my pyjamas and fell asleep happy.

Sam POV

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sam," Freddie said, stroking my palm with his fingers.

"Yeah, cya tomorrow," I replied, and rested my head on his chest. In response, he snaked his arms around my waist and kissed my head. I kissed him on the lips and felt him deepen it. His tongue licked across my lips and I gave a little moan. As my mouth opened, he probed inside and deepened the kiss more. After a while, we pulled away panting. Freddie smiled at me and kissed my forehead. Cuddling him once more, I headed home, but he lightly touched my arm.

I turned around and he held my cheek in his warm hand. I felt my cheek turn pink. He chuckled and stared into my eyes. He said simply: "I love you, Sam."

Tears of joy formed in my own eyes and I hugged him tightly. I looked up and replied: "I love you too, Freddie." he grinned and his eyes started to glisten. Nuzzling his face in my neck, he kissed me again and reluctantly let me go to go home.

THE DAY OF THE PROJECT

Freddie POV

I met with Sam and Carly at our lockers. Sam was carrying some bacon in her hand, whereas Carly had all the stuff they needed for their project in her hands, and was clearly struggling to carry it.

I laughed and helped Carly. She gave me a nod of thanks and I followed her to our classroom. Gibby and I had taken our stuff into the room before school and we placed theirs next to it. The warning bell rang for the start of first period so I hugged Carly, pecked quickly on the lips, and headed to first lesson.

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The first lesson went by like a breeze, but my hands were shaking slightly as I waited outside English for the teacher to arrive. I had spoken in front of the class before, but never as a proper speech. I guess I was just a little nervous. I took a deep breath when I felt some warm, soft hands on my arms. I turned and saw Sam smiling at me. "Hey, you ok?" she asked, rubbing her hands up and down.

"I'm fine. Just a little nervous," I answered, and she gave me a quick hug. The teacher arrived soon after and we sat in our seats. To make it fair, she put our names into a hat, but she picked Gibby and I first.

We set up our stuff, and began our presentation. "Let me ask you a question…what do you think of if I say gun crime? Do you think of glamorous girls, fast cars, and rap music? Well, let me tell you…it's nothing like that in real life. In fact, it's very different.

As America, we are known as a peaceful nation, trying to right wrongs and help the people of the world. We are helping Afghanistan defeat the Taliban, and we are part of the strongest partnership in the world – America and Great Britain. But we are also known for our violence. In one year, more children and teens died from gunfire than from cancer, pneumonia, influenza, asthma, and HIV/AIDS combined."

Gibby stepped forward to continue. "In reality, 80 innocent civilians are killed every day for little or no apparent reason, but this isn't one of our government's priorities. We think it should be! American schoolchildren are the most at risk in the WORLD from being killed by a firearm. 19 were killed in Great Britain, but our country manages an incredible 5285! A solution to this problem needs to be found fast, to stop all this pointless killing! Freddie and I believe that we have that solution."

I continued: "Tougher restrictions need to be put in place to help limit the amount of guns that are available to use. Gun shops should only sell them to people who obey the law, and have a just cause for buying the gun. Murder is not one of these just causes! This could stop the deaths and it could've reduced the 90,000 children and teens killed from guns between 1979 and 2001. We need to reduce the risks, like the fact that USA children are 16 times more likely to murdered, 12 times more likely to commit suicide with a gun, and we need to take away the 135,000 guns that are taken into US schools every day!"

"So join us," Gibby called, "and together, we can stop gun crime!"

We finished our speech and the class cheered. Sam grinned and clapped at me. I sat down in my seat and Sam touched my arm. She whispered: "Well done, you were great. Told you you'd be fine."

A.N: 3 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	9. Carly and Sam's Speech

A.N: I still don't own iCarly. Sob. For all of you that asked about the stats in the chapters, I can tell you they're all true. Sorry it's taken me like forever, but my laptop lost the file and plus it's finally summer so I'm making the most of it.

Sam POV

The class clapped as Freddie and Gibby went to sit down. They had finished their speech and it was really good. The teacher clapped also and waited for them to take their seats. She pulled another name out of the hat, and I held my breath as she read it. Thankfully, it wasn't me and Carly.

I sighed with relief and watched their speech. It was ok, but it was no Freddie's and Gibby's. I guess I should've been relaxed that it wasn't us yet, but as it went on I got more and more nervous. My hands started to sweat uncontrollably and my heart pounded, slowly moving from my chest to my throat.

After what seemed like forever, theirs ended also. My heart was about to burst about now, and I was really jumpy. I couldn't help but look at the door, debating on whether or not to bail, but I knew it wasn't going to be worth it.

The teacher pulled out another name of the hat, and I jumped when she read me and Carly out. I hesitantly got up and helped to set ours out, but when I picked everything up, it fell out of my hands because I was shaking so much.

It was finally set up, and I took a big deep breath to control myself, but it was no use. What is wrong with me? I thought. I've never been this bad. Nervous, but nowhere near this bad.

Carly began our speech herself. "How do you feel when you read about domestic violence in the news? Sympathetic? Unhappy? Sad? Well, actually, the majority of domestic violence crimes are never reported because they feel scared, alone and vulnerable. This needs to stop!"

Carly shouted this last bit rather loudly, and I nearly jumped a mile. My hands were making the sheet of paper with my speech on flail about constantly, and I was just focusing on making it through the next 5 minutes. I do this, and I'll be fine.

"Did you know that 33% of women are killed by a sexual partner that they had in the past? Did you know incidents are never reported, for the sheer fear of what might happen to them? They are scared for their lives, and this needs to change. We allegedly promote peace and democracy as a nation, but how can this happen all over the world, if violence and destruction is so prominent in the American household? The government needs to protect its people, and keep them as a priority."

"So we need to persuade the Government to reduce the violence in our country, and help America to become a more peaceful nation, but let's not forget, domestic violence isn't the only family problem."

I stepped forward and tried to speak, but my mouth had gone dry, my heart was thundering and I began to feel nauseous. I breathed again, read in a slow, shaky voice: "Child Abuse is also a big problem within the United States, with an incredible 1.25 million children being abused in 2006, and an average of 4 children die every day due to child abuse and neglect. This needs to stop!"

My voice began to shake even worse, and I could feel tears in my eyes, but I determined not to let them fall. Momma doesn't need to let anyone see her cry. I carried on, and prayed to God it would end soon.

"Children who have unemployed parents are twice more likely to get abused or neglect than if they have employed parents. Single parents increase the risk to eight times more likely than married parents. We need to help these children." My voice broke suddenly and I found tears falling down my face.

"Because….they feel….scared…alone…and….hurt." I looked up from the sheet, and saw Freddie staring at me with an expression of sympathy, hurt and concern. I couldn't take it any more and ran straight out of the classroom to the girl's bathroom, where I sprinted into a cubicle, slammed the door shut, and curled into the foetal position to cry.

Freddie POV

Awkward silence filled the room after Sam had sprinted out. Carly and the teacher just stood there with a shocked look on each of their faces. I got up and asked the teacher if I could see if she was ok. She nodded and I hurried to the girl's bathroom. I really didn't want to go in, but I had to for Sam. I slammed the door open and ran through. I hear muffled sobs and knocked on the closed cubicle door.

There was no reply. I waited outside the door and knocked again. "Sam, baby, open the door. It's me." I heard a mumble, and the latch was snapped open. I hesitantly pushed the door, and my heart was torn to shreds.

Sam was sitting in the foetal position, curled up into a ball against the toilet. She looked up and her mascara had put black rivers onto her healthy pink cheeks. She stared into my eyes, and hers were full of hurt and vulnerability. I knelt down and held my arms out.

She moved closer and embraced me tightly. My arms snaked around her thin waist, and she shook as sobs wracked through her body. My top began to moisten as her tears fell. I stroked her hair as she pulled herself closer to me. After about 10 minutes, her sobs stopped and she looked up at me. I wiped away the excess tears and handed her a tissue to sort her make-up out.

She had stopped crying and cleaned herself up. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she nuzzled her face into my chest. "Baby, it's ok. I know you're upset about your mom, but we'll get her help, I promise," I said, and kissed her head.

"It's not that," she stated, and looked up. Her eyes looked weak; as if all the sparkle had left them. She took a deep breath, and said: "My mom isn't just drinking, Freddie. She's…been…..hitting me." She collapsed into tears again, and I held her close to me. I hid my face in her hair, and stroked her arm.

"Baby, why didn't you tell me?" She cuddled closer, and mumbled. "I was scared."

I lifted her chin up, and said: "Well, you don't have to be scared anymore, because I'm always gonna be here for you." I captured her lips in mine, and she immediately responded. Deepening it, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. Our tongues sparked together as we kissed. I moved away to kiss her ear and smooth neck. She moaned deeply. I stopped before it could go too far, and she kissed me on the lips.

"Thank you, Freddie. I love you," she said, stroking my cheek.

I leaned my forehead onto her own and replied: "I love you too Sam."

A.N: 3 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	10. Telling The Whole Truth

A.N: I still don't own iCarly.

Freddie POV

I continued to sit there with Sam for a while. Stroking her arm and leaning my head against hers, I thought about how much she had been through. Her mom wasn't just drinking, she was being abusive. I knew I had to get Sam out of that, but I was gonna need Carly's help. I hesitantly lifted my head up from hers and turned to kiss it. "Baby, we're gonna help you all that we can," I said, stroking her hair.

She looked up at me, eyes wide and brimming with fresh tears. "We?"

I sighed and kissed her forehead tenderly. "You're going to have to tell Carly, Sam. She can help you," I replied. She opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it again and nodded. She snuggled closer to me, and wrapped my arm around her tighter.

We stayed there until the end of the lesson, and then I took Sam to the office. She asked if I could come home with her, and the school let me off. We walked the route home, hand in hand. On the way, we stopped at the Groovy Smoothie, where I texted Carly explaining that we had gone home. She sent back a confused face, but I said I would tell her later.

I held a protective arm around Sam while we ate, and she stayed close to me. She seemed quiet, but I didn't want to upset her.

We arrived back at my house, and Sam slumped onto the sofa. She looked up at me, her eyes full of hurt and fear. She smiled slightly and I enveloped her in a hug. She grasped me tightly back and pressed herself into my chest. She pulled away, and crushed her lips onto mine.

I responded and snaked an arm around her petite frame. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she jumped and clasped her legs around my waist. I held her and took her to my bedroom as we continued kissing. I laid her on my bed and straddled her.

I caressed her soft pink cheek, and she kissed my palm. Our shirts came off to form a purple mesh on the floor. Not wanting to go too far, I reluctantly pulled away. We pulled our shirts back on, and Sam lay on top of me, listening to my heartbeat.

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Carly POV

I got off the bus alone, and began to walk to my apartment. I was so busy in my thoughts about Sam and Freddie; I barely noticed when Lewbert screamed at me to get out. Walking up the stairs, I tried to think of what was wrong.

Why did Sam run out of English in the middle of our speech? Why had Freddie taken her home? Why hadn't they told me the full story? My mind was alive with questions as I opened my door.

Chucking my stuff on the couch, I wandered over to the fridge and grabbed some Peppy Cola. I heard the door open and spun round to see who it was. It was Sam and Freddie. Sam was cuddled close to Freddie, and he stroked her arm. The expression on Freddie's face told me it was serious, and I sat down on the couch with them.

Sam slowly turned her head away from Freddie's chest, but held onto his hand tightly. He squeezed it back, as if he was reassuring her. She smiled at him, and took a deep breath. Turning to face me, she mumbled: "Carly, there's something I need to tell you."

She sounded so small and vulnerable, and it broke my heart to see her like this. I motioned for her to continue, and she said: "The reason…why I ran out…of English….was because…it was too much." Her voice started to break, and tears fell down her face. "My mom….hasn't just….been drinking. She's…she's…been….hitting me." She broke down and floods of tears fell down her face. Freddie immediately pulled her close and kissed her head.

I moved to hug Sam also, but I felt my own tears burn onto my face. Sam put her other arm around me, and pulled me closer. The three of us stayed like that for a while, and wiped each other's tears. "So, how long has this been happening?" I asked, pulling away from Sam and Freddie.

"Well, my mom and I have always been rocky, but since my dad left she's been drinking. It wasn't that bad, but then she lost her job, and it got worse. Over the past few months, she's been hitting me when she's drunk. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys, I was just so scared," she said, as Freddie cuddled her.

"It's ok, baby. It's gonna be ok, we promise," he mumbled into her hair. I suggested Sam stay the night and she agreed. I went to get a movie to cheer us up. When I came out of my room with The Hangover in my hand, I saw Freddie with Sam on his lap. I sighed, thinking of how lucky she was to have him. He was the nicest, sweetest guy and they were just perfect for each other. He was her prince, and I hoped I would find mine soon.

I put the movie and that cheered us up a lot. When it finished, Freddie gave Sam one last kiss and cuddle before turning to go home. Sam stood up and asked him something I couldn't hear. He nodded and mumbled something into her hair. Sam spun back and asked: "Can Freddie stay the night?" I nodded and Freddie left briefly to ask his mom and get changed. After some muffled shouting from Mrs Benson, he arrived in his pjs and a spare shirt for Sam.

Sam and I changed and we watched a couple more movies, before I smiled watching Sam and Freddie sleep, bodies and love entwined.

A.N: 3 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	11. Putting The Plan In Motion

A.N: I still don't own iCarly. This will be my last update for a bit coz I'm going on holiday to Scotland for a week. Thank you everyone for reviewing.

Freddie POV

Sunlight was streaming in through the small gap in the curtains of Carly's apartment, and I allowed my eyes to adjust. Sam was sleeping soundly with her head resting in the crook of my neck. I smiled and pulled her small, light body closer.

She sniffed loudly and groaned as she opened her soft blue eyes. I grinned down at her and she turned to look at me. "Hi," she sighed contently.

"Hey sweetie," I said, cuddling her and kissing her head. She giggled into my neck and I laughed as her breath tickled me. "How are you feeling?" I asked, stroking her arm.

"Better, but I just want all of this to be over," she sighed, nuzzling her face into my neck. Leaning my head on hers, I replied: "We'll come up with a plan today, and then it will all be over, I promise."

She lazily sat up, balancing on her arms, and kissed me. I returned it and kissed her forehead. "Thank you," she smiled. Hugging her, she laughed, and I answered: "You're welcome."

Sam got up and out of our makeshift bed on Carly's floor and walked over to the kitchen. I laughed to myself, knowing full well what she was getting. Sure enough, a minute later she emerged with two Peppy Colas and a joint of ham.

We ate together as we watched Girly Cow, laughing and joking. After about 2 hours, Carly woke up and smiled when she saw us cuddling together. "Hey guys," she said sleepily.

"Hi Carly," we said, Sam's head resting on my shoulder. Carly joined us and watched Girly Cow all morning. We agreed to go out to the Groovy Smoothie for dinner and we changed and walked out the door.

Carly POV

Sam sat leaning on Freddie's shoulder while I went to collect our order. They looked so cute together. I guess opposites do attract. I was so interested in staring at them that I didn't notice who was standing at the counter. I gaped as I saw Griffin, fully dressed in the orange uniform. He smiled at me and handed me our smoothies but it fell out of my shaking hands and all over my top.

I gasped as the ice cold smoothie made its way down my brand new top. Groaning, I grabbed the cup from off the floor and began to wipe it off with a napkin, which was only making it worse. I felt a hand touch my own and looked up to see Griffin laughing at me. I gave him a playful glare, but he just chuckled.

"Carly, I think you're making the stain worse," he observed. I gazed at my top and saw that the natural white cover had been swallowed up by the vivid red smoothie.

"I know. Now it's ruined," I sighed sadly.

"Would you like to borrow my t-shirt?" he asked.

"Sure!" I beamed, hoping that I didn't sound too desperate.

He laughed and I changed into his shirt in the restroom. He handed me some more drinks and I took them to the table. Sam and Freddie gave me questioning looks so I explained what happened. They nodded and chuckled.

I sat down with them and we discussed a plan to get Sam's mom some help. After much discussion, we all agreed that it would be best if we told the school so Sam could get some sort of help to get her through all this, and that Sam would live with me and Spencer while her mom got help. The only thing that needed to be sorted was how we were going to get her mom to agree.

Sam suggested she visit her mom when she was going to be at her worst, but Freddie immediately dismissed it. "Why not Freddie? She needs to see how bad she behaves!" I said, slightly raising my voice.

He sighed and placed his hands on mine, calming me down. "Sam sweetie, I just don't want you to get hurt. Maybe I should go with you to put the cameras in and stay with you in your room, just in case," he said softly, caressing her hand with his thumb. She nodded and snuggled into him.

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Sam POV

Freddie finished putting all the cameras in my apartment, while I stood with shaking hands. He noticed this and held them in his own. "It's going to be ok, I promise," he reassured me, and kissed my forehead. I fell into him and held him tight. He did the same and stroked my hair.

It was time and my mom was going to be coming home from the bar. The door was slammed open and I stood in front of her trembling. "M-m-mom, I n-n-need to t-t-talk." I stammered my voice cracking.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, YOU JUMPED UP LITTLE BITCH!" she screamed, and I cowered in the corner, waiting for the final blow.

A.N: 3 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	12. Confrontation

A.N: Sorry about the long wait for an update. I should warn you, there is quite a lot of bad language in this chapter. Sadly, I don't own iCarly. The only things I do own are my laptop and an obsession with Nick Jonas.

Sam POV

I wrapped my arms around my legs as I fell to the floor, crying my eyes out. I was in too much of a daze to notice that Freddie was trying to comfort me, too busy staring at my mother. Her face was completely red and her hair was a complete mess. She stomped towards me and I cuddled closer to Freddie.

I whimpered when Freddie let go of me, missing his warm and comforting touch. He made me feel safe. He walked calmly up to my mom and held her hands in his. "Mrs Puckett, you need to calm down," he said, but Mom was having none of it.

She slapped Freddie hard in the face and he recoiled from the impact, stumbling over some boxes. "DONT YOU DARE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" she screamed, and swaggered over to attack him again. I was in floods of tears and instinctively ran to protect Freddie.

He was still dazed, spread on the floor. I didn't know what to do. His cheek was bruising quickly. I turned round to see my mom with a furious look on her old and tired face. The edges of her mouth were frothing with saliva, dripping from her chin. She held a large bottle of Smirnoff vodka in her sweaty hand. I held my arms out spread, trying to protect Freddie from the next blow. She looked at me and howled: "MOVE, SLUT! LEMME FINISH THE LITLLE TWAT OFF!"

"NO MOM! NO!" I shrieked, tears falling freely down my face. My vision was blurry as a hand was swung. Pain erupted through me as I felt the glass break through my delicate skin. Looking back, I saw Freddie was starting to wake. His eyes were filled with alarm, seeing the blood streaming down my cheeks. My mom had glassed me. He held his hand to it and mouthed _I love you_. I did the same, and grabbed his hands. He crawled with me to the door, but Mom was blocking our route.

Blood was falling all over the floor from my face. I clutched my cheek to stop it, but it was no use. Mom sharply tugged my messy hair, and pulled me level with her. "I'm gonna finish you off, you tart," she said in an uneven, low whisper. I closed my eyes and waited for the fatal blow, but it never came. My mom cried out and released her tight grip on me, moving her clammy hands to her blood-smeared leg.

I was dragged outside the apartment by Freddie, who held me as I cried in his warm, comforting arms.

Freddie POV

It broke me into pieces to see Sam like this, but that had to be done. I held her bleeding cheek, and quickly realised it wasn't getting any better. Tearing my sleeve of my shirt off for her, I pressed it to her cheek. She winced at the contact, but held my hand there.

"That better?" I asked, stroking it slowly and lightly. She nodded, and then snuggled into me. We sat like that, my arms around a shaking and fragile Sam, when there was a sudden bang on the door. It shook under the impact and Sam nearly jumped out of her skin.

We crawled over to the other side of the corridor, and then I shakily rang Carly's number. It rang a couple of times then she picked up. "Hey," she answered chirpily.

"Hi," I replied, my voice as shaky as the phone resting in my blood-soaked hand. I could sense that Carly knew something was wrong, because she said she would be there ASAP with Spencer. Sam curled closer to me, while I tried to soothe her and calm her down.

After about 20 mintues, Carly and Spencer arrived, bounding through the doors at the end of the corridor and sprinted up to us. They saw the blood that was still running down Sam's cheek, but it was slowly clotting. "We need to get you guys to the hospital," Spencer said. We all agreed and Spencer helped me with Sam to the elevator close by, when another thump was heard through the door.

Sam squealed loudly, and looked at me with a scared and vulnerable look in her eyes. She had never been like this before, at least in front of me. Tears welled up in my eyes but I forced then back.

Hurriedly getting in the elevator, Spencer pressed the button for the elevator to move. The doors began to close but were stopped suddenly. We all tensed when Sam's mom appeared.

I pulled Sam back, slamming into the back wall of the elevator. Sam's mom was disorientated, leaning nearly all her weight onto the door, which kept trying to close. "Come here, you little slag," she murmured, slurring her words.

I let go of Sam who whimpered when she lost my touch, and pushed Sam's mom as hard as I could. She stumbled onto the floor and the sickening crack of broken bones was heard. She lay there, frozen, unmoving.

Spencer's eyes widened as blood trickled out from under her head. The doors started to close once more but Carly and Sam pulled her inside with us. Sam stared at me tearfully: "She may have hit me, but she's my mom and I still love her." I nodded and helped her move her mom, as the door finally closed into position.

A.N: Meh! Could've been better, I think. They may be a longer gap between updates coz I go back to school on Tuesday. Sob. 3 reviews and I'll update! Emma xoxo


	13. At The Hospital

A.N: Sorry for the long wait for an update. I'm back at school now and this is my GCSE year so I'm gonna be pretty busy, and my router broke completely. But it's fixed now! Anyway, here's chapter 13.

Sam POV

I sat on the floor of the cold ambulance, next to the body of my mother – being alive by the dull beep-beep of her heartbeat. I held her hand which was slowly losing its body heat. It broke my heart to see her like this. She needed to be ok. She had to be.

Spencer had found some paramedics doing a visit when we reached outside, and they immediately helped us, but wouldn't tell me if Mom was gonna be ok.

I felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and instantly knew it was Freddie. Leaning into his touch, I winced at the pain in my head. It had been bandaged, but it was still painful. I finally let some unshed tears fall from my eyes, and Freddie pulled me closer.

"She'll get better sweetheart, I promise," he whispered into my ear. I only prayed that he was right.

I was in a daze as we entered the hospital, doctors running frantically towards the gurney my mom was on. She looked pale and ill. Carly and Spencer were directed to the waiting room, whereas I needed to be rebandaged. The nurse smiled at me and I returned the favour, but I was feeling the complete opposite inside.

Staring into space, I sat there while she undid my bandage. It was still bleeding, just not as bad. "How did this happen, Miss Puckett?" she asked, still smiling at me.

That was all it took for me to start bawling my eyes out. Puzzled, the nurse tried to comfort me whilst changing my bandage. When she was done, she wiped my tears for me and directed me to the waiting room.

Slowly, I opened the door and found Freddie staring right at me, and immediately he ran to me. I held him close, cherishing his touch, he made me feel safe. Cared for. "Any news on you mom?" he asked, stroking my back. Snuggling into his warm chest, I replied: "No, you?"

I looked up at him and he gravely shook his head. Sitting down, he kissed my head as I leaned into his shoulder and curled up. We stayed there like that for a while, and then the doctor entered the room.

"Your mom had a major operation on her head. The skull was fractured, and she can't remember the last week, but there's no long-term damage. She's awake now if you would like to see her," he explained.

I decided to go to see my mom on my own. I needed to explain what she had done. It broke my heart when I opened the door to her room. I could hardly see her under the white sheets she was sleeping in. Her face was pale: like she had seen a ghost. She was wearing hundreds of wires, all linked to specific machinery. The dull beep-beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Coming closer, I could hear her shallow breathing. Her eyes were open and lit up when they saw me. "Hi mom," I said, my voice faltering slightly.

She smiled weakly at me and said: "Hey sweetheart. How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I'm worried about you, Mom. There's something you need to see." She looked at me quizzically while I left the room. I nodded to Freddie and he handed me his laptop. "I'm scared what she'll do. Can you all come in with me?" I asked.

They accepted and headed in with me. My mom was still lying in the same position, too weak to get up and move. "Hey everyone," she called, her voice still weak and raspy.

"Mom, you need to see why you're in the hospital," I explained, holding tightly to Freddie's comforting hand. She nodded, and asked to be sat up. Spencer held her up while Carly, Freddie and I fluffed the pillows. She sighed, lying back down on the pillows.

Resting the laptop on her lap, I turned it on. The footage that the cameras had collected began to play.

"_Mrs Puckett, you need to calm down."_

"_DONT YOU DARE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"_

"_MOVE, SLUT! LEMME FINISH THE LITLLE TWAT OFF!"_

"_NO MOM! NO!"_

_**SMASH!**_

"_I'm gonna finish you off, you tart,"_

By the time the footage had finished, I was sobbing into Freddie's shoulder while he held me tight. He lifted my head in his hands and whispered in my ear: "She knows now, baby. It's gonna be ok." I nodded and kissed him with lots of passion. After a few seconds, we pulled away and turned to my mom.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and more were filling her eyes. She stayed silent like that long after the footage had stopped. Freddie moved to take the laptop off her, but she touched his arm lightly. "I…did…that….to you?" she whispered timidly.

Freddie nodded, and took the laptop. Mom turned to me and touched my cheek softly. "Why…did you….tape me….doing that?" she asked.

I leaned into her soft touch and whispered: "Because you need help. And I want you back, but as you are, not like that on the tape. Ok?"

She nodded and opened her arms as wide and high as she could. I embraced her and cried into her shoulder. She stroked my hair and whispered – her voice thick with emotion -: "I'll get help, I promise. If it means I get you back as my daughter." I nodded and hugged her tighter, praying to stay like this forever.

A.N: That's all for this chapter. I'm not sure whether or not to end it here. Lemme know what you think! (hint hint) :P Emma xoxo


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